Folding article of furniture



sept. 21, 1937. J, KOVATS 2,093,891

FOLDING ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Sept. 21, 1937. J. KovA-rs FOLDING ARTICLE 0F FURNITURE Filed April 14, 195e Sept. 2'1, 1937. J. KovATs 2,093,891

FOLDING ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed April 14, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet` 5 INVENTOR Joh n 71'0 Vais,

A RNE? Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES OFFICE Application April 14,

19 Claims.

This invention relates to tables having folding legs and especially to card or game tables, and constitutes improvements on the table forming subject matter of my Patent No. 2,005,716 which issued June 18, 1935, and my copending application Serial No. 74,237 led Apr. 14, 1936.

Prior to the present invention it has been the practice to employ toggle or link members in card or game tables to effect positioning and support of the folding legs thereof; the imp-roved operating mechanisms of this invention, however, have eliminated the toggle members which were heretofore employed in these tables.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mechanism for supporting folding legs in both the extended and folded positions, and improved operating connections for effecting conjoint positioning of all the legs on the table through the manual operation of any one of the legs, and for maintaining the legs in either the folded or extended position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means for individually maintaining and locking each of the several legs of the table in extended or working position, and yet release all of the legs when any one of them is released to allow all of the legs to be folded simultaneously.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of locking means which utilizes a wedging action to positively prevent dislodgment of the legs when in extended position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide improved means for automatically completing the movements of the legs into either folded or extended positions when the legs are partly extended, theposition into which the legs are urged depending on whether said legs are or are not extended beyond a dead center point intermediate the extended and folded positions.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of actuating means for each leg which also serves as a locking means for the leg when the latter is fully extended for use.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a table made according to the present invention, the table being shown in four fragmentary portions, three of said portions showing the legs in extended position and the fourth and lowermost right hand portion showing the leg in folded position, the operating connections for eifecting conjoint positioning of the legs not being shown.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan 1936, Serial No. '74,238

view of one of the corners of the table showing the leg in extended position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of one corner of the table, the table top and side being shown in section, and the leg in extended position, looking in the direction of arrow a, of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 3, but with the leg partially folded.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Figs. 3 and 4 but with the leg in completely folded position.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the table and operating connections for the leg mechanisms, but with the hinge and leg members removed.

Fig. '7 is a view similar to that of Fig. 6 but showing a modified-form of operating connection for the leg mechanisms.

Fig. 8 is a plan detail of one end of a modified form of connecting link for effecting conjoint positioning of the legs.

Fig. 9 is a sideview of the modified link end of Fig. 8.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the present invention is applied to a card table of the type wherein legs I0 fold perimetrically Within a marginal frame II of the table top I2, the underside Q of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The legs I0 are secured to metal plates I3 having barrels I4 much wider than the width of the legs and receiving pins I5 carried by bracket members I6. Each bracket I6 fits in a corner formed by adjoining ends of the marginal frame II, being secured thereto by screws l l and serving as a brace therefor as Well as serving to hinge the leg to the table.

According to the present invention each leg of o the table is associated with an improved individual operating mechanism located in each table corner, and one such mechanism will now be described in detail, it being understood that the other operating mechanisms are similar in every respect.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the bracket I5 has an inwardly olf-set lower portion I6a, to which is attached a horizontal plate I8 by means of a ange Ia of said plate and a screw I 9 secured in the off-set portions |661. of the bracket. If desired the bracket I8 and plate I8 may be stamped from one piece of metal; however the present arrangement has been found preferable for economical purposes, at the same time being entirely satisfactory. The plate I8 is rectangular in shape, having a raised bearing portion 20 which has a pivot 20a. for a bell crank lever 2l having arms 22, 23, and 24, (Fig. 2) said latter arm having an extension 25 extending upwardly and carrying a tab 26 angularly disposed thereto, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

and suitable means.

The bell crank 2| is thus free to turn on the plate I8 for the purpose, as will be hereinafter disclosed, of actuating the leg l through novel It will be noted that the extension 25 and tab 25 carried thereby have an arcuate path of travel, starting from one extreme position as shown in the lower right hand fragmentary View of Fig. 1, to a second extreme position as shown in Figs. 6 and '7, and said extension and tab serve to engage means, to be hereinafter described, carried by a leg Il) in order to effect actuating thereof.

The horizontal plate I8 and bell crank 2| constitute part of an improved individual operating mechanism for actuating the leg I5 whereby no toggle links are necessary, whereby said leg is moved into either folded or extended positions, whereby as the leg approaches either` of said positions it is automatically urged so as to complete the movement to said position, and whereby said leg is yieldingly held, when in folded position, against casual dislodgment therefrom, and is locked when in extended position against dislodgment therefrom except by manual release of a locking mechanism.

In the accomplishment of this, there is provided by the present invention an actuating plate 2'|, see Figs. 3 and 4, carried by the leg IB and extending beyond the end thereof, said plate bending away from the lower end (direction according to the figures) of the leg and having a downwardly extending portion 29 which carries at its lower end an inwardly extending lip or lug 3B. The plate 2l has a` longitudinal flange 3| which at the curved portion 29 of said plate extends obliquely outwardly, said flange having at its end an outwardly extending lip or lug 32.

There is thus formed a space or opening between the ange 3| and the lip 30, and the plate 2l and bell crank 2| are so disposed relatively to each other that the tab 26 flts into and partially occupies said space or opening during the major portion of the movement of the leg from extended to folded position; the position of the tab is clearly shown in Fig. 4. Movement by hand of the leg I0 therefore results in a turning of the bell crank 2|, and the disposition of the parts are such also that said leg may be actuated solely by turning of said bell crank during the engagement of the tab 26 by the parts 3i), 3|, and 32 of the plate 2l. In other words, the leg I0 may be moved from folded to extended position, and vice versa, by the bell crank 2|.

Of course the plates 21 and |3 attached to the leg l0 may be stamped out of one piece and suitably formed, but it has been found preferable to form them of separate pieces for ease of manufacture.

There has thus been eliminated the usual toggle links connecting the leg to the table top for actuating, locking, andother purposes.

When the leg il) is in fully extended position, as shown by Fig. 3, the upper end of the tab 2B of the bell crank engages the lower surface of the lip 32 to eifect a locking of the plate 2l and leg l il in extended position. When in the position shown in Fig. 3, the lower end of the tab 25 engages a pin or stop 33 carried by the bracket Iii, and which prevents any downward movement of said tab which might otherwise occur due to pressure exerted thereon by the lip 32, and therefore said tab acts as a wedge to securely lock the leg in position, and yet to quickly and easily release the leg when desired.

It will be apparent at once that the tab 26, when in the position shown in Fig. 3, thus effectively prevents closing of the leg |D. In order to provide for a rigid and rm positioning of said leg in extended position, a second pin or stop 33a.` is secured to the bracket 26 so as to engage the 5 upper surface o-f the lip 32 when the leg is extended, and thus, movement of the plate 2l and leg Il! is effectively prevented in either direction because of engagement of the lip 32 with the stop 33 carried by the bracket I6, and tab 26 of the bell l0 crank.

In order to release the leg l0 from its extended locked position the bell crank 2| is turned so as to move the tab 25 into engagement with the lip 30, whereupon the locking engagement with l5 the lip 32 is broken and whereupon further movement of the bell crank will cause the leg to fold inwardly, as shown in Fig. 4. When the leg is in fully folded position the lip 3|! will be disposed in a vertical plane, as shown in Figs. 5 and l (lower 20 right hand view) and the extension 25 of the crank will engage the inner end of said lip. If the crank 2| be maintained in this position so` that the extension 25 engages the inner surface of the lip 35, the leg It will be prevented from 25 moving outward from its folded position.

By the present invention, the bell crank 2| is yieldingly urged into either of its two extreme positions b-y a spring 34 and one end of which is fastened to the plate I8 by a pin 35 and the other v0 end of which is carried by the arm 22 of the bell crank. When said arm of the crank is in line with the pivot thereof and the pin 35, a dead center position is effected and the spring 34 will not urge the crank in either direction; however, 30 when the crank is moved in either direction beyond the dead center position, the spring 34 will act to urge it further in the direction in which it has been moved.

Thus, when the leg I0 is in folded position, as 0&0 shown in Fig. 5, the spring 34 will urge the extension 25 of said crank firmly against the lip 3|) of the plate 21, and will thereby yieldingly hold said leg in folded position. The leg |D may be manually moved from this folded position against45 the pressure of the spring 34 however, causing the bell crank to turn as a result of said movement. After the leg has been thus moved to open position sufficiently to cause the bell crank to turn past its dead center position, the spring 34u50 will act oppositely on said crank and will urge the leg I0 into fully exten-ded position, and will also lock the leg in this position, as shown in Fig. 3. In order to release the leg from locked position the crank 2| is turned against the now-reversedi`55 effect of the spring 34 and in a manner already described, and continued turning of the crank will cause the leg to again fold.

After the lock has been broken by moving of the tab 25 into engagement with the end of thero lip 3|), the leg I0 may be caused to move to folded position either by manually moving said leg to said position or by causing the bell crank 2| to continue its movement. It should be noted also that the leg I@ may be caused to move from c5 folded to extended position either by manual pressure on said leg or by causing the bell crank 2| to turn in the proper direction.

The actuating mechanisms for each of the four legs of the table are similar in all respects 7o to that just described. There is thus provided by the present invention means individually associated with each leg of a card table and including a plate carried by said leg whereby the leg is ,yieldingly urged into either completely folded75 far is complete and operative of itself, and a table provided with such a mechanism is entirely practical and workable. Each leg of the table when in folded position will be held in said position against casual movement therefrom, and each leg vmay be manually moved to extended position -where it will be locked therein. In order to move any leg from extended locked position to folded position the tab 2S associated with the leg is depressed and moved manually so it engages the lip 38, whereupon the leg may be manually moved into folded position. f

It may be found that, depending on the strength of the spring 34, dii'liculty is experienced in moving the tab so as to release the leg from locked position, other factors such as wedging of said tab may also cause diiiiculty in effecting release, and accordingly, in order to provide for quick an-d easy release of a leg i@ from locked extended position there is provided an actuating release lever 36 pivoted on a pin 3l attached to the bracket i6, said lever having an arm 38 with an inwardly olf-set portion 39 for engagement with the tab 2B. When it is desired to actuate said tab for the purpose of releasing or breaking the lock, the lever 36 is merely depressed, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, causing movement of the tab 2B and release of the leg. The pin 3l also carries a spring iii engaging both the lever 36 and the bracket l for the purpose of urging said lever into nonrelease position against a tongue 4| of the bracket i6.

Referring to Fig. 6, there is shown a connecting mechanism for effecting conjoint positioning of all the legs through the manual operation of any one of said legs, including four link mem- 4bers 42, each link member being pin-connected to two bell cranks 2|. 'I'hus each bell crank moves in unison with the other cranks, and

movement of any one crank due to manual operation of the leg associated therewith will cause movement of all the cranks, and in turn movement of all the legs. When the legs are extended and in locked position, it is only necessary to depress one lever 36 in or-der to unlock all of the legs, inasmuch as depressing of any lever 3S causes a turning of the bell crank associated therewith and consequently a turning of all the bell cranks of the table and release of all the legs.

A second method of interconnecting the actuating mechanisms for the legs, described in detail in my copending application Serial No. 74,237 led Apr. 14, 1936, is shown in Fig. 7, wherein two pairs of link members 42a, are provided, each pair being pin-connected to one set of diagonallyv opposite bell cranks for causing conjoint movement of said cranks. Each pair of links 42d is pin-connected to a four-armed connecting member 44 such that movement of any one pair causes lturning of said connector, which results in simultaneous movement of the other pair.

According to the present invention there is also provided an improved type of interconnecting link for effecting conjoint positioning of the leg actuating cranks and the legs of the table. This imand 9. A link member 42h carries at its end a pin 45 having a shoulder 46 and a shank 41. A spring member 48 is also carried by the link 42h, said member being attached thereto by turned over portion 49 and by a tongue 50 which latter passes through an aperture 5| in the link. The spring member 48 extends over the end of the shank 4l of the pin and is yieldingly held thereagainst. The link 42h is attached to a bell crank 2| by moving the spring member 48 away from the pin 45 and passing the arm of the crank therebetween so that the shank 41 of the pin passes through the aperture in said arm.. The link 42h is thus held in position on the crank 2| against dislodgment and yet may be readily removed without trouble or without recourse to tools.

A table made in accordance with the present invention may be provided with or Without/the improved connecting links 42h for eiecting conjoint positioning of the legs, and if the table is purchased without the links because of economical reasons, these may be added at a later date and easily installed.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be usedl without others.

I claim:

l. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corne-r' of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a protruding member; and means engaging said vprotruding member and carried by said bracket for moving the leg and for locking the leg when in extended position, said means including a xed stop on the bracket and' a wedge movable on the bracket for wedging the protruding member against the stop.

2. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member, including hinge means and a plate; and means engaging said plate and carried by said bracket for moving the leg and for locking the leg when in extended position, said means including a fixed sto-p on the bracket, and a wedge member movable on the bracket for Wedging the plate against the stop.

3. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about saidV bracket member, including hinge means and a plate; and means engaging said plate and carried by said bracket for moving the leg and for locking the leg when in extended position, said means including two xed stops on the bracket and a wedge member movable on the bracket for wedging the plate between the wedge and one of the stops.

4. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for `pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member, including hinge means and a plate; and means carried by said *bracket and engaging said plate for locking the leg when in extended position, said means Vincluding a bell crank pivotally mounted on the bracketV and having a wedge-shaped tab engaging the plate, and a stop for limiting the movement of the leg.

5. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment vto the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate;l and means including a Wedging member carried by said bracket yieldingly directing and acting on said plate for causing the latter to automatically complete the movement of the leg into either folded or extended position as the leg approaches either the one or the other of said positions respectively, and for locking the leg in extended position.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5, in which the means acting on the plate includes a bell crank pivotally mounted on the bracket and carrying the Wedging member, and includes a toggleacting spring connected to said crank.

7. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a `leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate with a lug; and means carried by said bracket yieldingly directing and acting on the lug of said plate for causing the latter toautomatically complete the movement of the leg into extended position as said leg approaches said position, including a bell crank rotatably mounted on the bracket and having a tab slidingly driving the lug of said plate.

8. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate With a lug; and means carried by said bracket yieldingly directing and acting on the lug of said plate for causing the latter to automatically complete the movement of the leg into folded position as said leg approaches said position, including a bell crank rotatably mounted on the bracket and having a tab slidingly driving the lug of said plate.

9. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate With two spaced lugs; and means carried by said bracket yieldingly directing and acting on the lugs of said plate for causing the latter to automatically complete the movement of the leg into either folded or extended position as the leg approaches either one or the other of said positions respectively, including a bell crank rotatably mounted on the bracket and having a tab extending into the space between the lugs of the plate and slidingly driving said lugs,

10. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate With a lug; and means carried by said bracket yieldingly directing and acting on the lug of said plate for causing the latter to automatically complete the movement of the leg into extended position as said leg approaches said position, and for locking the leg in said position, including a bell crank rotatably mounted on the bracket and having a tab slidingly driving the lug of said plate.

11. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment tothe corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate; and means carried by said bracket yieldingly directing and acting on said plate for causing the latter to automatically complete the movement of the leg into either folded or extended position as the leg approaches either the one or the other of said positions respectively, said means acting to cause the leg to be locked in extended position and to be held in folded position against casual displacement therefrom.

12. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate With two spaced lugs; and means carried by said bracket yieldingly directing and acting on the lugs of said plate for causing the latter to automatically complete the movement of the leg into either folded or extended position as the leg approaches either the one or the other of said positions respectively, said means acting-to cause the leg to be locked in extended position and to be held in folded position against casual displacement therefrom, and said means including a bell crank rotatably mounted on the bracket and having a tab extending into the space between the lugs and slidingly driving said lugs.

13. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate; and means carried by said bracket and including a Wedging member acting on said plate for causing the leg to be locked when in extended position and to be held when in folded position against casual displacement therefrom.

14. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member including hinge means and a plate with two spaced lugs; and means carried by said bracket and acting on the lugs of said plate for causing the leg to be locked when in extended position and to be held when in folded position against casual displacement therefrom, said means including a bell crank rotatably mounted thereon and having a tab which engages one lug of the plate to lock the leg in extended position, and engages the other lug of the plate to hold the leg in folded position; and a spring for yieldingly urging the crank so as to maintain the leg in folded position against casual displacement therefrom.

15. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member, including hinge means and a plate; means carried by said bracket and including a Wedging member engaging said plate for locking the leg when in extended position; and a manually operable lever carried by said bracket for actuating said locking means to unlock the leg.

16. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said br-acket member, including hinge means and a plate with a lug; means including a wedge carried by said bracket and engaging the lug of said plate for locking the leg when in extended position; and a manually operable lever carried by said bracket for actuating said locking means to unlock the leg, said lever having a one-way driving connection with the Wedge for causing movement thereof.

17. In a folding table, the combination of .a table top; a plurality of legs; means including hinges for attaching the legs to the table top for movement to and from extended and folded positions; a plurality of plates, one plate being carried by each leg; means including a Wedging member yieldingly directing and acting on said plates for causing the latter to automatically complete the movement of the legs into either folded or extended position as said legs approach either the one or the other of said positions respectively; and means interconnecting the means acting on said plates so as to effect simultaneous movement of all the legs by movement of one.

18. In a folding table, the combination of a table top; a plurality of legs; means including hinges for attaching the legs to the table top for movement to and from extended and folded positions; a plurality of plates, one plate being carried by each leg; a plurality of crank members having iixed pivots relative to the table top, one member being associated with each leg and each member having a Wedge engaging the plate thereof to lock the leg when in extended position; means interconnecting said members for simultaneous movement; and a manually operable lever having a one-Way driving connection with one of the crank members for moving all of said members to unlock all of the legs so they may be folded.

19. A leg actuating mechanism for a folding table including a bracket member for attachment to the corner of the table; means attachable to a leg for pivotally moving the leg about said bracket member, including hinge means Iand a driving member; and means engaging said driving member and carried by said bracket for moving the leg and for locking the leg when in extended position, said means including a xed stop on the bracket and a Wedge movable on the bracket for wedging the driving member against the stop.

JOHN KOVATS. 

